Worst Policy
by HyperionX
Summary: Ichika was already used to the treatment he gets from the girls in the academy, but even he has a limit. It just so happens one day that this certain limit was breached. After waking up, he just can't shut his mouth from telling nonsense! Yet with how the girls are reacting, is it really just nonsense?
1. The First Signs

**Hi! This is my first Infinite Stratos story, and I don't know what I was thinking why I came up with this. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

It was just another day at the academy. A certain someone who was the only male capable of operating an IS woke up with a yawn. As he rose from his bed, he saw the clock and gasped. _Oh no I'm late!_ He quickly changed to his uniform and headed out of the room. He was about to run but he felt a painful sensation around his right shoulder. He tried to massage it, and it at least provided some relief to the pain. He was confused about it though. _Maybe my sleeping position was bad last night. Yeah that's probably it._ Not wanting to think about it any further, he ran for his life because he felt that his punishment from Chifu –er- Orimura-sensei will only get worse every second.

Everyone in the room looked towards the door as Ichika entered the room. Chifuyu was definitely not pleased. "Ichika! You're fifteen minutes late!"

Ichika frowned. "S-Sorry Ch- Orimura-sensei."

"Now tell me, what's your reason for being late this time?"

The girls just glared at him, remembering the reason why he was late last time.

"I uhh…" He was about to answer, but he felt the pain in his shoulder again. He tried not to make the painful sensation obvious because he had a feeling they were gonna misinterpret the reason of it for some malicious event again, but it was too painful that he had to rub it. "I… overslept. Sorry." He bowed and closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable.

Chifuyu, with the usual serious stare, crossed her arms. She noticed him massaging his shoulder, and she saw that as a sign of discomfort. "Fine. I'll let you go just this once. But if you do this again, your punishment will be worse than last time."

Ichika stuttered at the surprising turn of events. "T-thank you." He proceeded and sat down on his chair.

* * *

It was already lunch break. Ichika and the others sat down on their usual spot with the round table and red leather seats. He was in the middle of course.

Ichika grabbed his chopsticks, but the pain was unbearable and he accidentally dropped it. "I didn't expect it to be like this… " He tried to use the chopsticks with his left hand, and he was able to, but with little success. His hand was shaking like it was having a seizure, and he just gave up.

Charlotte, who was seated left of him, noticed this and asked, "Ichika? Are you alright?"

"My right shoulder hurts and I can't use my chopsticks with my left hand." He sighed. "Oh man, how am I supposed to eat now?"

Charlotte instantly came up with a good idea and smiled. "D-do you want me to feed you?" She blushed.

Ichika was liking this idea, but he didn't want to burden her. "Well, only if it's okay with you."

"Oh it's okay with me!" She got her chopsticks and got a piece from Ichika's tray. "Say 'ah'!"

And so, the war has begun.

"Hold it!" Laura, who was seated right of Ichika, threw her chopsticks and successfully hit Charlotte's. "He is my wife and only I can feed him!"

Rin, who was seated beside Laura, pulled on her arm. "Hey you don't have the right to feed him!"

"What and you do?!"

"Well, I've known him longer than you do! I'm his childhood friend!"

Houki chuckled. "Just so you know, I'm his FIRST childhood friend! That means I get to feed to him!" She got her chopsticks. "Ichika! Get ready!" She got a piece of her fried chicken. She reached for him, but even with her already outstretched arms, she actually couldn't reach where he was sitting, being at the end of the table and all. Her arms along with her upper body just collapsed. "I can't reach…" She said with a muffled voice as her face was buried on the table.

Cecilia was certainly not gonna let her rivals win. "I'll feed you Ichika! Here," she got one of her sandwiches, "I made it for you!"

Ichika gulped in fear. He didn't want to hurt Cecila's feelings, but he also didn't want to hurt himself by digesting that thing she claims as food. "U-umm m-maybe next time Cecilia I-I mean I'd like it if I finish what's on my tray first…" He smiled nervously.

Cecilia frowned. "Oh, alright…"

"I have an idea!" Charlotte suggested with a cheerful smile. "Let Ichika decide." Because she knew she had an advantage here.

All the other girls nodded. It was pretty fair after all, right?

"Eh?" Ichika had to think for a moment. "Well, if I'll decide, then I'll have to pick…"

The girls trembled in anticipation of hearing their names.

"Charlotte. She was the one who came up with the idea after all."

The girls shrieked, except for her of course.

Charlotte blushed in utter happiness. She couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you Ichika!"

As she fed him, she just had to face sideways to look at the other girls, and without him noticing, she had this mischievous smirk plastered on her face, as if it was a sign that she was victorious over them.

This only made the girls furious. _This girl's dark side!_

* * *

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go back to my room. I'm just gonna rest," Ichika said. He still felt some pain, but he wanted to make sure, and besides, it was one way to go away from the girls and their powerful punches. It's not that he wanted to get away from them, he really liked hanging out with them, it's just that he wanted to be careful for now to prevent this random pain from getting worse. "I'll see you guys later!"

Houki stared at the boy intently as he rushed to his room. There was something with the way he talked that was off. _Lunch break just ended and he's already tired?_ _Are you hiding something, Ichika?_ Or maybe that was just her jealousy talking.

Ichika entered his room and he did not expect someone to be on his bed. He gasped in surprise. "T-Tatenashi?!" However, it wasn't her.

"I-Ichika?!" It was her little sister.

"Kanzashi?! What are you doing here?"

She quivered in place, afraid of telling him the truth of why she came here. It was difficult to look at him directly. "I-I just wanted to give you-" After realizing what she said, her blush became darker. There was something on her hands, which were behind her back. _These chocolates… I wanted to give it to him… but I'm too embarrassed now!_ "G-give these beds a check I mean!"

Ichika didn't quite catch that. "What?"

"I-I was told to check the beds in s-some rooms b-because they h-haven't been maintained in s-such a long time…" She mentally facepalmed. _What am I getting myself into…_

He seemed to catch on quite quickly. "Ah, now that you mentioned it, my bed has been creaking lately. But how come you're in charge of this maintenance thing? You might get overworked, you know?"

This was the end of the line of her. She felt like her face was on fire. She couldn't think of any other excuse. The concern for her was displayed all over his face, and it was just too… distracting! "I-I uhh…" She just kept stammering like a broken record. "I-I'll just go… sorry for barging into your room… " But thanks to her clouded mind, she didn't notice the part of the bed sheet on the floor, making her slide her feet and lose balance. She was expecting some painful impact, but none of that came.

She quickly opened her eyes, and there he was, underneath her. "Are you okay, Kanzashi?"

A deeper shade of red invaded her already glowing cheeks. She jerked her face and body away from him, ending in a sitting position. "S-sorry!"

"It's okay…" Ichika couldn't help but notice her face. "Hey, have you been getting enough sleep lately?" He noticed the lines under her eyes.

Before she can even respond, the dangerous girls have already barged into the room and saw the scene in front of them. Threatening glares were visible on their eyes.

"Ichika…" Rin started off calmly, yet her body was trembling. "What are you doing…?"

Ichika waved his hands in defense. "W-wait! This is not what it looks like!"

"Then tell us why Kanzashi's clothes looks messy and…" They noticed the sheet that was sprawled out on the floor near her and Ichika, and that led them to one conclusion.

 _She really is Tatenashi's sister…_

Their jealousy meters were already way beyond maximum and before he could even explain, one of them materialized her IS's arms.

It was Rin. "Go die!" And she landed a critical hit on his head.

He lied on the floor, staying motionless for a few moments then proceeded to rub his forehead to ease the excruciating pain. "Should've seen that one coming…"

Kanzashi felt terrible. She had to tell them. "P-Please let me explain! Ichika didn't do anything!"

Houki looked at her sternly. "Don't defend that idiot."

Ichika was already used to this mistreatment from the girls. In fact, he's so used to it that he may have already developed some sort of pain resistance from their physical punishments to him. But this time, that blow he received from Rin's IS was extraordinarily painful.

He tried standing, but the dizziness made him lose balance. He waddled to the right in order to grab the edge of the bed for support, and sat down. Even a headache was forming already. He massaged his temple, yet it only provided some placebo relief.

They were still furious over him, as if not noticing just how he struggled to maintain his balance standing up. Houki spoke up. "So this is what you call resting early huh?!"

He was too busy looking at the floor. Everything was spinning in his view, the first signs of crazy were forming. His eyes widened as he looked down at his hands. He couldn't believe it, but it was there on his hands. They've gone too far. "I'm… bleeding…?" He wiped off his forehead and as he looked at his hands again, there was even more. All of a sudden, bright flashes of light blinded his eyes, making him pull his head back. _What's happening to me?_

When the girls heard him, their anger was instantly replaced with concern like a flick of a switch. They all approached him and checked his hand and head, only to find it clean.

Cecilia said with worry, "But there's none Ichika."

The boy clutched his head as a quick but painful sensation went through his head.

His (first) childhood friend took off that serious expression she always wore and replaced it with worry. "W-we have to take him to the clinic!"

Ichika however, raised his hand up. He stood up whilst still looking down and to the girls' surprise, he didn't stumble. "You don't have to, I'm fine, see?" He looked up and flashed them a smile and gave them a thumbs up. However, it didn't last long as he suddenly collapsed onto the bed in a rather comical way.

"ICHIKA!"

* * *

 **Next chapter is where all the silliness starts (If I don't end up making it serious lol).**


	2. Unusual Misunderstanding

Ichika slowly opened his eyes. First thing he noticed was the ceiling, which he'd seen quite a few times already, perhaps too much for his liking, because it was the infirmary. He was here again? Oh yeah, now he remembered. It was because of what happened earlier.

The only difference he felt was that single bandage over his forehead. It was a little itchy he just had to scratch it. He still didn't understand why Rin hit him. But he did understand that this was already like the hundredth time she hit him. _Actually, this is the 50_ _th_ _time. Did she unleash her full power this time, that I had to get knocked out? Maybe fifty's her favorite number. At least it doesn't hurt that much anymore…_

He recalled those lapses in his mind. It was really strange. No, it wasn't really because of how it stung, it was because of those abrupt images that appeared. That's because he saw the girls. He doesn't hate them, of course not, but the fact that he was getting beaten up by them in those little dreamscapes troubled him. Even in his dreams, he was still being punished! He just had to sigh at the miserable realization.

He raised his head from the pillow and sat down instead. He was feeling much better now, and decided to not stay in the room any longer and head out to resume class, or whatever's left for the day.

* * *

Ichika was already in his room. It was already the end of the day, missing training and class. But it's not like he was allowed. Chifuyu had told him as soon as he got back on foot to refrain from participating in training and other physical activities to speed up the recovery.

He didn't know why, but there was something about that incident that made him feel uneasy. To get knocked out that easily, was his body getting weaker? He shook his head. He didn't think it was possible with all the training they do. Or maybe that was the reason, he thought. Maybe it was because of _too much_ training that his body was already getting drained. He recalled that shoulder pain that bothered him earlier. Perhaps that was an evidence of his claim. But the more he thought about it, the more everything was proving to be false. They haven't had extreme training in a week already because even Chifuyu saw just how tired they were getting. It was a mystery indeed. With all these numerous thoughts in his head, he suddenly heard a knock on his door.

 _That's weird, they usually don't knock and just barge in…_

He opened the door, and there he saw his (second) childhood friend. "Hey, Rin."

Rin was looking down, hands held together, afraid to look at him directly. She felt ashamed. After what she had done, she already had doubts if he was gonna forgive her. And even if he does, she didn't know if that will be enough. "I-Ichika…"

He invited her to come inside the room instead of standing by the door.

She still felt terrible. She kept some distance between her and Ichika, who sat down on the chair by the computer. After mustering enough courage to look at him, she finally said, "Ichika! I'm so sorry!" She begged on her knees with her hands together, as if she was praying. "I-I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Ichika chuckled nervously. He didn't like seeing her this way. "R-Rin, it's okay really…" Suddenly, a sharp pain went through his head, making him jerk his head back, and he instantly came upon a realization. "But it's kinda strange though," he followed with a chuckle, "how you only said sorry now."

Rin paused her crying and snuffled before saying, "I-I didn't want to bother you, and I-I wasn't so sure if you wanted to s-see me that time…"

"But I'm not talking about that."

"Huh?" _W-what is he talking about?_

"I'm talking about the many times you've smacked me with that IS of yours." But Ichika didn't look mad. In actuality, he was smiling like it was nothing.

"W-what?"

Ichika chuckled. "Well, you've smacked my head fifty times throughout our time here in the academy already, so I'm not really sure why you're only saying sorry now after all those painful moments…" And that warm smile never left his face.

Rin just had her mouth agape. _Did I really hit him that many times?_ _But that's impossible!_ She lowered her head, realizing what he was trying to do. "I'm sorry, okay?" She said in a rather weak tone. "But you didn't have to take it that far…"

 _Eh?_ Was the only thing he could think of. Confusion filled up his mind.

Rin stood up, on the verge of letting her tears out. She screamed, "I can't believe you would make up such a lie! I've never hit you that much! If I did, I would've noticed! I-I already said sorry… but why?!" She ran out of the room, closing the door with a bang.

She dived onto her bed and cried her eyes out on her pillow. This was it, it was the end. She can't show herself in front of him anymore. She went too far, and he didn't forgive her. The fact that he had to make up such a blatant lie was solid proof already how much he hated her, and with the way he spoke, he didn't hesitate. Not to mention the face he displayed during their little conversation. He was smiling all the while, but she knew underneath that, he was hurting so much, and he was really angry.

Ichika was left speechless. Why was she mad now? Maybe it was… that's it! He mentally facepalmed. That's why she was mad. He had the exact number wrong! _Maybe it was 49 times? Or was it 51? Ugh! I need to remember to make it up to her._

But now wasn't a good time. It was already late at night and he was also tired; even if he didn't do much today. He decided to call it a day and headed to bed.

* * *

As he opened his eyes, his vision was greeted with his usual uninvited guest.

"Well, at least you're wearing something, Laura." He sighed.

"Good morning, Ichika! A-are you feeling alright?" She was really worried about him. She had never seen him get knocked out personally before.

"I'm not exactly sure. I got beaten up on the head pretty badly by Rin yesterday, my head still hurts a little, and not to mention that you keep sneaking up in my bed which is getting pretty annoying," he said rather casually without any hint of sarcasm like it was an everyday thing, which probably was. Oh, right.

Laura had her mouth open in shock. She had never heard him talk so sincerely about these things before. And the last thing he mentioned caught her breath. "A-am I really annoying?" She frowned.

The usual smile was on his face. "You're not, but your two habits are."

"Two habits?"

"Beating me up after some certain event and sneaking up in my bed like I mentioned."

She was at a loss for words. She was at least relieved that he didn't actually find her annoying, but the fact that he mentioned it bothered her. She had to admit, she had beaten him up certain times before, but it was only because of her embarrassment with his out of the blue compliments and kindness, making her blurt out something she didn't mean to. Now the other reason, it made her cheeks blush just thinking about it.

Maybe he was okay with it before, but now, he was probably past his breaking point that he just had to blurt the truth out. It made her feel terrible. Perhaps now was the time to redeem herself. Yeah, and maybe she could get an incentive, maybe a warm hug from him. Right, she was definitely liking this idea.

Speaking of getting beaten up, Ichika had to apologize to his (second) childhood friend. He didn't want any of this misunderstanding to last longer, otherwise, he might just lose her. And there's no way he's going to let that happen.

"Ichika, I-"

Before Laura could even initiate her plan, Ichika said, "Sorry Laura, I have to go, I need to apologize to Rin." But first, he had to take a bath and change.

 _What? Isn't she the one who should apologize?_ She just sat there on his bed, completely still, feeling even more confused about the situation.

* * *

Classes just ended, it was currently break time, and all the members of the group of friends met in front of where his classroom was, except for a certain someone.

Ichika said rather urgently, "Have you guys seen Rin? I need to talk to her."

They all knew this was about what happened yesterday. "She said she needed some time alone…" Cecilia said. And they also knew how guilty she felt.

Ichika clenched his fists. _Idiot! If I don't do anything soon… I need to find her!_ But if he were to think about it, there was one place that they always go to. He set that as his target destination, and ran as quickly as he can.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that he arrived. He opened the door and there he saw who he was looking for. She was leaning on the rails, staring at the horizon. The way she looked, with her hair swaying in the wind, he thought she looked really beautiful. They were at the rooftop of the academy after all.

There were many thoughts running in her head. She finally realized what he was trying to say last night. He was really telling the truth. There was no way he would lie to her, right? She can actually call this the dumbest thing she has done, for forgetting how much she hurt him. She hated it, the feeling of guilt. Fear was the only barrier stopping her, but it was too strong. She thought it was better to just avoid him from now on, but… _It's only the first day and I already feel like giving up!_

"Rin!" That voice...

"Ichika?" They ran towards each other, meeting in the middle of the rooftop.

"Rin, I have to tell you something."

She gulped. That serious stare he currently had, she didn't have a good feeling about it. But she knew it was her fault, and she only deserved the coming inevitable punishment.

"I'm sorry!" Those words. She did not expect them at all. It only left her dumbfounded.

"What…?"

"Rin, what I said yesterday was wrong!"

So what he said yesterday, she believed it to be the truth. But now, he just said that this truth was a lie. Wait, what?

"It wasn't fifty times!"

She gasped. It's like someone stabbed her through her heart. She clutched her chest, and had her mouth agape. There clearly was a look of disbelief on her face.

"It was fifty-one times!"

Her expression instantly changed to a poker face. "Eh?"

"I'm so sorry for getting it wrong!" Ichika begged. He was really nervous right now; he was even sweating. While he expected to get hit, it still bothered him because he really was at fault this time. Who knows, she might use all her might and knock him out again.

An ominous glare appeared on her face, and Ichika was afraid. She slowly walked towards him, yet that scary expression she had was making him walk back. "You're lying to me again… why are you lying to me!" She swung her right fist towards his face. She knew he was still recovering from what she did to him, but she couldn't control herself. For her childhood friend to lie to her, it hurt her. But to her surprise, he actually caught her arm, and he had quite a grip on it. Now she was scared of him, because that stern stare was back on his face.

"I would never lie to you! I would never do that to my friends, especially you!" He eased up and that serious look changed to a faint smile. "You're my cute second childhood friend, Rin, and I know lying to you won't do anything good, so I'd rather not."

She felt her heart skip a beat. He just called her cute! And he said especially her! Wait, does that mean she's really special to him? She couldn't stop the blush from disappearing on her cheeks. But she had to control herself, as she still had one task to do. That barrier of fear was finally destroyed, and now, she finally had the courage. "Ichika!" She clenched her fists. It was now or never. "I'm sorry!"

Ichika chuckled nervously. "B-but you already said that yesterday-"

 _Stop ruining the moment!_ "No! I'm sorry, for all those times I hit you…" She took a glance down before looking at him again. "S-starting today, I won't hit you anymore." _Even if seeing you with them gets on my nerves, I have to stop doing it…_

He suddenly hugged her. "Thank you, Rin."

She did not expect that at all. The warmth from his hug, it made her feel so giddy. After he let go of the warm embrace, she was silent for a few moments, until she finally said, "I-I guess fifty-one times was too much huh?" She chuckled nervously.

Ichika laughed. "Yeah, I've already gotten used to it after the third time, when you almost killed me with your IS's blade."

She frowned. Her level of guilt just kept rising up. Well, he was pretty tough. But to get used to getting beaten up? She felt like a bully. And she felt so stupid for almost causing his death. If he had really died... No, she didn't even wanna think about it. A look of determination was on her face. _I'm sure about it now. I WILL treat him better from now on! This is a promise, Ichika._ And she hoped it will remain unbroken.

"So Rin, do you wanna head downstairs?"

Rin weakly shook her head. "Let's just enjoy the breeze here for a little while." She smiled. It was one of those rare moments where they were alone. She wanted it to last forever.

Meanwhile, some certain girls behind the door to the rooftop had ominous glares on their faces, all having the same thoughts.

 _What happened between those two?!_

After all, this was only the beginning.


	3. Yet Another Rooftop Event

**March 2, 2017**

 **\- Hi, I just updated this chapter. I only added/revised some stuff, nothing major.**

* * *

Rin just lied there on her bed, her face beaming with happiness. She really didn't expect everything that happened today to be just so… great! To be alone with _him_ in that rooftop, with no one else to interrupt, enjoying the pleasant view together, with their bodies almost touching each other… she couldn't help but squeal, but at least the pillow she had been hugging minimized it enough once she brought it to cover her face. Even so, her roommate would've been so pissed off right now. Luckily enough, no one had to suffer through that since she had the room all to herself, even if there were two beds.

 _Maybe that bed's for Ichika…_ She giggled. Her current excitement was making it hard for her to resist the temptations. She imagined Ichika right there on the next bed. No, no, imagining this was wrong, so wrong! If he was on the same bed with her… now that was the right way of thinking!

 _...What am I thinking?!_

She shook her head rapidly in embarrassment.

Putting that matter aside, she just felt so victorious right now, with a confident chuckle emanating from her mouth. _Take that Houki! Who's the REAL childhood friend now?!_ She laughed maniacally, and with the way she was hugging her pillow tightly, one would probably assume she was insane.

* * *

Ichika woke up to an unusual sight.

 _Laura's not here…?_

A good sign to start the day. He stood up from his bed, preparing himself to take a shower, until he heard someone in there, much to his dismay. Those good signs faded quickly.

"Laura, why are you taking a shower here?" He didn't even show hints of being annoyed. Perhaps it was too early in the morning to freak out.

The intruder herself shrieked, getting flustered at the boy. She covered herself with her arms and the shower blinds. "W-what are you doing?! Suddenly barging in like that…"

Ichika chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "B-but Laura, you're the one who barged into my room without my permission since I was sleeping, and even took a shower."

Her blush only deepened. "The shower in my room was broken, so…" She was telling the truth! It's not like she broke the shower head on purpose just so she could make an excuse and take a shower in his bathroom, right? No, no way! She noticed him still staring at her, making her groan. "S-stop staring you pervert!"

Either he woke up too early or her voice was just too loud to take in this morning, as his head was hurting a little again. His nervous chuckle could be heard again. "W-well, you're the one who runs into my room almost everyday and sleep on the same bed with me without wearing any clothes, well most of the time, because sometimes you wear the academy's swimsuit, just like yesterday." He turned around and waited by the door instead of awkwardly watching her which he has been doing the past few moments.

She was left speechless. She hated how he was so blunt about it. He's been like this since yesterday, and she had a clue why - her. It was her fault, for being annoying and intrusive. Those exact words that he said yesterday still stung her, but it was thanks to that that she realized it was her own doing that caused this.

Yesterday… what was up with that day? It's as if so many things happened. Ichika's changed somehow, and not to mention that rooftop scene-

Wait…

How could she forget that event?! Oh yeah, she was too busy planning to make it up to Ichika and apologize, but now, it seems she was having second thoughts.

That scene, oh how she wished that never happened. She was just there, behind the door, witnessing how her wife was flirting with someone else! It made her blood boil so much. And the way they both looked so happy in each other's company infuriated her. Apologize? He was the one who should apologize, right? Wives should be loyal!

Ichika flinched a little when Laura ran past him. "L-Laura?"

"Idiot…" She slammed the door.

The boy was confused. Very confused. "W-what's with the sudden shift in mood?" That wasn't his only source of confusion. "And how did she change to her uniform so quickly?!"

* * *

Nothing much happened during class, with the flow of the subjects not getting interrupted by any transfer student or the outcry of the girls' jealousy due to a certain guy.

Talking about the certain guy, he was able to survive the day without any interruption, until…

"Ichika, would you mind going with us?" It was the four girls who approached him, namely Houki, who asked the question rather sternly, Laura, Cecilia, and Charlotte. Both blonde girls smiled as innocently and sweetly as they can at the boy, but deep down, they just wanted to unleash all their rage at him after witnessing what happened yesterday.

Laura, however, was frowning _. I failed to apologize again…_ She shook her head. _No, he's the one who should apologize!_

"Hmm? Where are we going?" His smile however, was just as genuine as ever, and showed just how clueless he was to these four beautiful girls' destructive nature.

'Oh you know, to the place where you betrayed us!' That's what they wanted to say, but they were too embarrassed to even utter it in front of him, and not to mention how it may cause a ruckus here in the classroom.

Cecilia slammed her hands on his table making him flinch a little, all the while still displaying that "sweet" smile on her face with her eyes closed. "Just go with us, alright Ichika?" _Because if you don't, you will regret it._

Ichika just gulped in fear. What's up with her smiling while slamming the damn table? He just didn't get it at all. "A-am I in trouble for no reason again?" He chuckled nervously.

Charlotte pulled his arm as gentle as she can to let him stand up from his seat. "It's alright Ichika, you're not in trouble." Because she wanted to save up all her energy for his coming punishment later. "Well, at least not yet…" She muttered ominously while looking down.

"W-what?" Was all Ichika could say.

* * *

They finally arrived at their destination, but for Ichika, it could be his final one. "This is where you guys wanted to go? But why'd you literally drag me along?" The pain was still there in his arms. Those girls really had a strong grip.

Houki went straight to the point, crossing her arms. "You know exactly why! You were looking for Rin yesterday right?" She could see the boy nod in response. "And what actually happened when you met up with her here huh?" She trembled in anticipation of his response.

"Hmm, well…" He was about to answer, but he suddenly realized something. "Wait, did Rin tell you guys about this? That's the way you knew, right?" He asked rather in an innocent manner, like a clueless kid. Yet this clueless Ichika was taking a toll on the girls.

That is, to make them blush in embarrassment, because they knew they just got exposed of stalk -er- watching. But they can still be saved, right? Besides, he didn't even suspect them of that at all, he really was just asking nicely.

But Houki couldn't hold it in anymore and just burst out of her built up anger, finally proving that Ichika had somewhat guessed it right. "T-that doesn't matter! Actually, we…" She was fidgeting too much, telling him the truth was draining her confidence quickly. "W-we followed you alright?!"

The three other girls gasped in horror. _W-what are you doing?!_ It was over. Now they were gonna be labeled as the IS of IS Academy – the Infinite Stalkers of IS Academy. What will Ichika think of them now?

"Right after you asked, we followed you… but…" She clenched her fist, getting angry for another reason. "How did you know Rin was here without looking anywhere else?!" She reached the painful conclusion.

The trio in the background instantly realized what she was trying to say, and they soon all gave their death glares to Ichika.

Cecilia frowned, she couldn't take that fact, that her "teammate" in her mission to getting Ichika's attention would betray her. "A-are you saying that y-you're that much closer to R-rin than the rest of us, s-so much t-that you know her f-favorite place?!" _That girl, I'll make her sweet and sour pork taste salty and bitter!_ And she was the perfect girl to do just that.

"Ichika! How dare you betray me! You are my wife and we should be the closest to each other!" Any other more revealing information, and Laura could unleash all her charged up strength to hit that boy she lov- liked so much right now. She didn't want to believe it, but it's really happening. Rin was winning against her. She was too pumped up to even think about apologizing anymore.

But the worst of all, was the blonde with the violet eyes. Ichika just shook in fear seeing the dark aura surround the girl. Charlotte was definitely not happy, and even smiling at this moment was too difficult to do anymore, as if there was some force trying to stop her mouth from forming it. "Ichika... it must've been fun… didn't it?" Her chuckle could send a shiver to anyone's spine, in a not so good way.

 _W-what's up with them?! Why do they look so angry anyway? I didn't even say anything yet… Or maybe that's exactly why! But what do they want me to tell them?! Come on, just give me a clue!_

And his clue was given. "TELL US THE TRUTH ICHIKA!" One voice from the four was already loud enough, but to have all of them shout at the same time was another level, and not to mention how perfectly synchronized they were when they shouted it, as if they rehearsed it before.

Ichika sighed in relief. He had to thank them for that, as it made things easier. "Yes, I knew Rin was here, because I do know it's her favorite place," he smiled.

The girls gasped in horror, but Ichika continued talking.

"I saw her here, looking sad," he frowned, remembering that expression Rin had on her face. "I really felt terrible, it was my fault she was like that, and I had to apologize. So I did. This is how it went…"

As Ichika continued his storytelling session, the girls were just glaring at him, ignoring the words coming out of his mouth. Their minds were just too occupied with anger, and it was pretty noticeable, yet he didn't seem to notice. But it only took one word to snap them out of their angry trance.

"… I called her cute. And that's when we hugged each other." No, make that two, but the second word only turned their anger into a raging monster that wanted to destroy everything in its path. It was the embodiment of rage itself. _H-HUGGED?!_ The second word – it really caught them off guard.

Yet the dense and honest Ichika just kept talking. "After that, we just enjoyed the view for awhile. We were really close to each other," he chuckled. "And she even made a promi-"

They just couldn't take it anymore. Houki was the first to launch her fist at Ichika. "You're the worst!"

"Eh?! But I didn't even do anything wrong." Ichika really didn't get these girls at all.

"B-because you called Rin c-cute, and you said you even h-hugged her!" The girls were in disbelief. Calling someone cute and hugging them after; something was definitely happening between them!

All signs of emotions left Ichika's face, leaving him with a poker face. "But you just told me to tell the truth…" His poker face was replaced with a face of being annoyed. "So why are you getting mad at me for telling the truth when you told me to do exactly just that?!"

However, silence only came after. None of them can answer that, if they did, that would just reveal… ahh, it was too embarrassing to even think about it! So, they replied with the usual thing. They all materialized their respective IS' arms, ready to pulverize the boy in front of them. "Just go die you pervert!"

Ichika took some steps back. Fear was clearly evident on his face. "D-don't call me a pervert when you're the ones at fault!" Perhaps that issue was more important to him than the whole dying thing. He saw the girls getting closer, and when they finally tried to hit him, he was able to dodge all of their attacks. His victory, however, was short-lived. "W-wait, I mustn't move that much…" It was coming back again, those painful white flashes in his mind. He fell to his knees. His head was hurting again, making him clutch it.

But the girls were oblivious to it, still in their rage mode. They were ready for their final swing at his head. However, once they executed their move, they were all blocked by a familiar materialized IS arm.

Ichika only saw the outline of its owner as the sun blinded him, but once that source of light was blocked by the figure, he recognized who it was. "Rin!"

"Rin?!" They didn't expect this sudden appearance.

Rin looked back at Ichika and kneeled beside him, giving him a concerned smile. "Don't worry Ichika, I'll protect you." She went and hugged him, much to the other girls' jealousy. _Just like I promised…_

She stood up and turned around to look at her other fellow rivals- friends rather, and placed her hands on her hips after dematerializing part of her IS. "First of all…" She cleared her throat with her eyes closed before saying, "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU ALL TRYING TO DO?!"

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I didn't have any idea what to write back then, and the ideas only popped up now, probably sometime last week. But the thing is, college is getting busy and I might not be able to update in quite awhile again. Again, I apologize for that.**

 **Umm don't expect a fight scene between Rin and the Infinite Stalkers. I've never written one before so it might end up terrible anyway, but we'll see.**

 **I might change the ending for this chapter, if I do, you'll be notified when I update the summary. Why? Because I have another idea, though I'm still not sure if that's better.  
**

 **\- 01/28/2017**


	4. Change

**It's been almost a year already since the last chapter? I don't think I can redeem myself with this.**

* * *

It's been several months since they started attending the IS Academy. It truly was an amazing place, with many ways to improve one's IS combat skills, and not to mention the awesome facilities. For Rin, she did find the academy a great place, and she wouldn't deny that, because her combat skills have definitely improved here. But the best thing about this, was when she finally saw _him_ again, her childhood friend. It was a great reunion, really, and she couldn't stop smiling because of it. Everyday since then was like a blessing to her, because she would always see him.

But there were also _those_ times. Oh, how she got so irritated seeing all those girls around him, and especially that girl! How dare she proclaims herself as his _first_ childhood friend! As if that mattered anyway, she probably had a lot more firsts with him than her. The thought made her laugh mockingly. But in all these moments, she released her pent-up anger by hitting him. It felt like it was always his fault, getting flustered, denying that he did it, stuttering when he tries to defend himself – such an obvious liar. Aren't those what people normally do when they're actually at fault? Well, that's what she believed anyway.

After so many months, only now did she realize, how wrong she was. All it took was to spend some time with him alone – and it took this long to get that chance? Rin was disappointed in herself. But the question remains: when did he become so blunt about things? She didn't quite get it either.

* * *

Rin surely had a good night's sleep. With that smile on her face, it was no mistake. She couldn't stop, that moment alone with him at the rooftop was just so good. She realized it was morning already as she glanced at the clock, not to mention the blinding sunlight that seeped through her window curtain. She quickly got up and changed to her uniform after taking a shower and headed to class.

Break time surprisingly came quickly. Perhaps it was because Rin suddenly felt so motivated to listen in class. Her classmates even thought so; she looked really happy. As the class ended, some of her classmates approached her, asking things like "Did something good happen?" and all she could respond with was a blush and an embarrassed smile. She hurriedly walked away from them, giving them an excuse that she had to use the restroom. Finally, she thought. It was time she went to his class. But once she arrived, she didn't see him. She approached one of his classmates and asked, "Umm where's Ichika?"

The girl turned around. "Oh, I think they went to the rooftop."

 _They?_ And that's when she realized, _they_ weren't here too. She frowned, knowing how this was gonna end up, then she heard the girl speak again.

"Ichika didn't look so okay though, actually, he looked quite scared… well, who wouldn't be scared of that…"

Rin heard her muttering. "W-what do you mean? What did they do to him?" She was worried. If it already happened, then she would have already failed her promise to him this early.

"They looked quite angry for some reason, maybe Ichika did something wrong?"

Rin was a little surprised. But the more she was taking this in, the more she was realizing things, and the faster her surprise turned to annoyance and anger, making her clench her fists.

Ichika's classmate, the girl she was talking to, had walked away with a nervous look on her face after noticing her dangerous glare.

 _THOSE. DAMN. STALKERS!_

She ran out of the room very quickly, leaving behind a trail of smoke. It was the only possible answer she could think of; why would they get mad at Ichika? They were jealous of course! It was always the reason! It was so irritating. They ruined it, really ruined it. The next time she fantasizes about that event again, she can't unsee it – those four watching them behind the door, with the pits of rage obvious in their eyes. It just killed the once so blissful mood of them alone together so much.

Though how much she hated to admit, she would've felt the same, getting all angry and irritated, but she already realized from their little time together how blind she was, how much they, including herself, had hurt him, all just to win his affection. _This is why… I have to protect him!_

She reached the rooftop quickly, behind the door at least. She had to catch her breath. Sprinting wasn't exactly easy for her. She opened the door, thankful that they haven't heard her yet. Her eyes widened as she noticed them. Why did they activate their IS? No, of course. She was right all along. They really were watching them during that time. She then noticed him, kneeling on the floor, looking hurt. She gasped in horror. These girls obviously didn't notice, or maybe they did, but they didn't care. She had to take action, quickly. She materialized her IS legs, using the thrusters to boost herself. She also activated her arms, spawning her blade.

* * *

"RIN, how dare you and Ichika do unacceptable things!" Houki exclaimed. These four were clearly outrageous right now.

Rin scoffed and crossed her arms. "What are you saying? We didn't do anything wrong!"

Ichika gave Houki a rare menacing glare. "What are you trying to imply?! What's unacceptable about hugging Rin and calling her cute?!"

Rin couldn't help but blush at Ichika's words.

Houki didn't like seeing that glare on Ichika's eyes. It was rare for him to get angry like that. She lowered her weapon, the feeling of shame suddenly enveloping her. "I-Ichika…"

Rin looked concerned for Ichika as she saw him clutching his head. "Are you alright, Ichika?"

Ichika groaned. "My head's been hurting since they tried to hit me awhile ago…"

With a concerned look, Houki tried to go closer to him. "Ichika-" But she was interrupted by Rin.

"In case you girls haven't noticed, just before your weapons hit him, didn't you notice him kneeling down?! He was in pain!"

Houki gasped. "What…"

Rin replied sternly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be guiding Ichika back to his room so he can rest…"

Houki groaned just seeing the two so close. Just when did they get to be like that?! Before they could even take a step further, she pulled on Rin's sleeves, making them stop. "I'll take him back to his room!"

Rin chuckled ominously, feeling a little irritated at this girl's advances. A weird ominous aura surrounded her, which frightened Ichika somehow. With a rather dark tone, she muttered, "I thought I made it clear…" She slowly turned around and as she looked at the girl's face, she gave her most serious look. " _I'm_ guiding him back to his room!"

Yet another battle begun.

Rin hugged Ichika's left arm while Houki hugged his right arm as they battled with each other in the game of death glares.

"I should be the one helping him!" Houki exclaimed, and added her reason why, "I-I used to share rooms with him you know!"

Rin made her voice even louder. "So?! I bet you never even hugged each other like Ichika and I did yesterday!"

The other two girls trembled with anger and joined the fight.

Charlotte exclaimed, "Ichika and I took a bath together you know!" She tried pulling Rin away from Ichika but the twin-tailed girl fought back.

Meanwhile, Laura was on the other side of poor Ichika, fighting against Houki. "What weaklings you are. I don't think any of you slept on the same bed with Ichika." She suddenly looked at Houki and gave her a glare. "And sleeping in the same room but on different beds won't get you anywhere!"

Houki gasped loudly, feeling so intimated by this little silver-haired girl. "Don't you even dare!"

And there was Cecilia, watching the fight ensue. She trembled and crossed her arms, feeling jealous of the other girls' experiences with Ichika. _Hmph! At least I got to cook with Ichika together…_

And last but not the least, was the only guy in the scene, with his arms getting pulled apart rather violently by the four girls around him. He sighed as he felt his energy getting drained. _Why does this always happen to me…_ Just then, the sharp pain was coming up in his head again, making him groan.

Rin noticed this and she quickly let go of his arm, getting pulled back a little as Charlotte reacted a second later. She desperately called to the other two, "S-Stop! Let go of him right now!" However, the two seemed too serious about this and didn't hear her. Rin quickly went to their side and pulled their hands off Ichika's sleeve. "Enough!"

The twin-tailed girl glared at the girls, but her features quickly softened as she looked at Ichika. She wrapped her arm around his, speaking softly, "Let's go Ichika."

Laura, Houki, and Cecilia frowned as the two disappeared into the building.

Charlotte, however, stared blankly at the rooftop door where the two headed off to as if she was in deep thought. There was just something off about Rin, well, she was not like her usual self. The concerned look the twin-tailed girl had as she saw Ichika in pain; she couldn't take that image off her mind. Now, it was normal to be concerned, but for her to take initiative and be the one to stop the little fight? Wasn't Rin the aggressive one? It was her who hit him in his room for crying out loud! Yet, that question she feared kept appearing in her mind – did something else happen when they were alone here in the rooftop? Besides a simple apology and hug?

* * *

 _-Chapter 4 End-_

* * *

 _ **Alternative Scene in Chapter 3 (Optional read) – Well, since it took me almost a year to update, I might as well show some more stuff. This was a scrapped idea that I was supposed to put in Chapter 3. Instead of Ichika going to the rooftop, it was Rin instead (Mind you it's very incomplete).**_

* * *

Lunch break finally started, and five certain girls quickly rushed to the rooftop. It was strange for them to go there after witnessing what happened yesterday. The place was simply giving them a bad sensation. Of course, this didn't apply to the petite girl with the brown hair tied in twin tails, after all, she was the source of the other four's frustration. Well, half of it.

"Why exactly did you guys drag me here?" Rin didn't really have an idea. Her only recent memory here was yesterday with Ichika. Recalling the event made her smile and blush lightly once again.

Houki went straight to the point, crossing her arms. "You know exactly why! You were here with Ichika yesterday right?"

Rin simply nodded. Taking a few seconds to think, she realized what was wrong. "Wait a minute, how did you know that Ichika and I were here?" _I don't exactly remember telling you that..._ She really was clueless as to how they knew, and she had absolutely no idea what she had just done.

That is, to make the four girls blush in embarrassment, because they knew they just got exposed of stalk -er- watching.

Seeing this, she finally understood what was going on, forming a suggestive smile on her lips. "Ahh so you wanna know what happened between me and Ichika right?"

The other four just glared at her and groaned, ready to just pounce on her as soon as they hear anything that would make them tick.

Rin crossed her arms and looked away. She decided to play with them a little, and tried her best to frown as she closed her eyes. "Hmph! As if I'd tell you!" Yet one could tell the difficulty she was having holding in her laughter. _Just look at their faces! They're about to blow up!_

Cecilia walked towards her and grabbed her arm, giving her a sinister stare with her eyes wide open.

Going by Rin's sudden sweating, she was really shocked.

With Cecilia's sudden smile, she was now perfect for a horror movie role. "Oh, do _tell_ us what happened Rin! We're _eager_ to know!"

Rin scratched her cheek. "Well..."

As the four noticed the twin-tailed girl suddenly look down on the floor, it was their turn to start sweating out of nervousness. Why did she look so scared to tell them? And as the girl kept trembling, their fear of the truth was getting worse, with all of them having the same thoughts. _D-DID THEY… D-DO IT?!_

The tall and usually serious girl, the _first_ childhood friend of Ichika, shook her head. _No way… we were watching- I-I mean observing them the whole time! There's just no way!_

But in reality, Rin only looked down because she was at her limit of holding in her laughter, hence the trembling. As she regained her composure, she slowly looked up.

The girls gulped as they got ready to hear her words.

Rin took a deep breath, and finally said, "You saw us hugging, right?"

The girls nodded rather quickly, desperate to find out what other things they did.

Rin acted her best to look embarrassed - putting her right hand on her left arm and gripping it tightly, averting her gaze, and slightly flushing her cheeks; it was the perfect pose. "Well… we also… kissed…"

The four girls had their mouth agape. "K-KISSED?!"

* * *

 **So... when's the next chapter?**

 **Umm...**


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